Countless clues flashed through Yosuke's mind, but he couldn't link them together. One decisive factor was missing—the identity of the woman pregnant with Uzumaki Naruto.
If it were Uzumaki Kushina, then the child should be named Namikaze Naruto, not Uzumaki Naruto.
Yosuke suspected that perhaps Kushina had other relatives in Konoha unknown to the public.
This preconceived notion trapped Yosuke in a dead end.
"Yo?"
A boy slightly older than Itachi, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and carrying a longsword on his back, appeared in the barbecue restaurant.
"Shisui?"
Seeing his clan's close friend, Uchiha Itachi's face immediately lit up with a smile.
Uchiha Shisui noticed Yosuke and Hayate at the table.
"Itachi, you've made new friends too. I just finished training with my teammates and thought I'd grab something to eat. I won't disturb you then."
Uchiha Shisui politely bowed toward Yosuke and Hayate, then followed his teammates to another empty table.
Itachi had always been expressionless and cool. Except for the joyful look he showed earlier when Yosuke let him watch training up close, he usually kept the same face.
"Itachi, is that your friend?"
The boy nodded softly. "Mm. He's my closest friend from the clan."
Yosuke looked at Shisui chatting happily with his companions. The clothes of the people behind Shisui carried no Uchiha crest—so they weren't clan members.
Yosuke thought to himself, So Uchihas aren't as hard to get along with as Asuma made them sound.
After finishing the meal, Yosuke went to the counter to pay.
The total left him speechless—he hadn't expected barbecue to be that expensive.
Fortunately, he had won some money from Asuma during their sparring wagers. Without that, he might not even have been able to pay for this meal.
They left the restaurant. Night had fallen, and Yosuke, Hayate, and Itachi parted ways.
That night, Yosuke noticed that no one was watching him anymore.
No one likes being monitored all the time—at least this was one of the few perks of cooperating with Danzo.
Early the next morning, Hayate knocked on the door of Yosuke's inn.
"Yosuke-san, I may not be able to train with you for a while."
"Oh? What happened?"
Hayate explained, "I've been assigned to a confidential mission, so I have to report immediately."
"Looks like life gets pretty busy once you become a jōnin. Go on—come train again once your mission's done."
"Yes, sir!"
Hayate bowed and left.
That afternoon, even though Hayate was gone, Yosuke still headed toward the forest.
There, Uchiha Itachi's small figure was already waiting.
"Yosuke-dono." Itachi bowed respectfully.
"Hayate-san hasn't arrived yet?"
"He received a mission," Yosuke explained.
Itachi couldn't hide his disappointment. Without Hayate, there would be no training demonstration to watch today.
Yosuke smiled and ruffled his hair. "Then today I'll train you alone."
Itachi looked up in surprise and excitement.
"But my training is strict," Yosuke warned. "Think you can handle it?"
"I can!" Itachi said firmly.
"Good! Then let's begin. Come with me, Itachi."
Yosuke led him to the top of a mountain. The entire mountain was covered in dense forest and scattered rocks—full of obstacles.
"Itachi, you're different from Hayate. Hayate's habits are already fixed, so I can only train him by targeting his weaknesses.
But you're different—you're still unshaped, a raw gem. So I'll start by teaching you from the most basic level."
Yosuke's serious tone made Itachi swallow nervously. He could already tell this training would be harsh.
"Your task today is simple—run down the mountain, then run back up."
"Up and down the mountain? That's it?"
Itachi found it hard to believe. Even though he was only five, being born into the battle-proud Uchiha clan meant he had already gone through systematic training. Running up and down a mountain was nothing to him.
Yosuke smiled mysteriously. "Simple? I hope you won't regret saying that later."
"Before we start, you must follow two rules:
First—no using chakra.
Second—no tree-walking shortcuts. You have to run on the ground with your own two feet."
"I understand!" Itachi nodded.
"Good. Then start!"
At Yosuke's command, Itachi dashed down the mountain.
Yosuke leisurely sat on a rock, took out a flask from his waist, and began drinking.
Itachi didn't understand this kind of training at all. He felt Yosuke was underestimating him.
Determined to prove himself, he rushed forward faster, wanting to reach the bottom as quickly as possible.
But he got distracted and didn't notice a loose stone under foot.
His foot slipped, and he lost balance, rolling down the slope until he crashed into a tree.
"Ow… ow…"
Itachi rubbed his back. He had multiple scrapes on his body. After struggling to stand, he continued down the mountain.
He inevitably made more mistakes along the way.
By the time he reached the base, he was covered in dirt and bruises, and his stamina was completely drained.
Looking up at the mountain he normally could climb with ease, Itachi began to doubt himself.
A whispering voice crept into his mind:
"Can I really climb back up? Maybe I should just use chakra… walk up a tree… Yosuke-dono won't see anyway…"
Itachi shook his head hard, banishing the thought.
"Uchiha Itachi! As a proud member of the Uchiha clan, you must never do something like that! Don't disappoint Yosuke-dono!"
Staring up at the summit, his gaze turned resolute. He began climbing again.
By the time he reached halfway, his lungs felt like they were exploding.
Every breath burned, his legs were swollen, and he could only use a stick as support, limping upward one step at a time.
Finally—through sheer willpower—Itachi reached the mountaintop.
He collapsed on the ground, gasping desperately for air.
Yosuke gave him a teasing look.
"So? Still think it's easy?"
Itachi couldn't even answer him—he just wanted to rest.
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